Derbyshire v Worcestershire RLODC

A fifty-over game of cricket, featuring Derbyshire, live on Sky TV. I have even switched my day off in lieu of working on Saturday to see it. What could possibly go wrong?

Er, the weather for one thing.

Frequent showers tomorrow for the early part of the day, so it's likely to be one of these games where the side batting second have a radically different chase than first seems likely.

I don't see changes to the team at Leicester, because it is pretty close to the strongest that we have. Of course that defeat was frustrating, but more so because we have shown lately that we are a better side than that. You would have to be super-cynical to not see that, but there are obvious weaknesses that will need addressed for another year.

For all that Jeevan Mendis has done a decent job, there will be more bite to our attack when Imran Tahir joins up. He is a class act and continues to prove it in the IPL, as he will in the Champions Trophy. Nor have we seen anything like the best from Hardus Viljoen, still striving for rhythm but probably looking forward to having the slips in place in the four-day game.

There's a decent attack there with Viljoen, Davis, Cotton/Palladino, Thakor and Tahir. The batting will take care of itself and give them something to work with and I feel there is plenty of good cricket in this side over the months ahead.

Hopefully it starts tomorrow, against opponents missing Moeen Ali and the talented Joe Clarke, but including Australian spinner Nathan Lyon. They are a good one-day side and will take some beating.

Their squad:

Kohler-Cadmore, Mitchell, Fell, D'Oliveira, Cox, Whiteley, Leach, Barnard, Tongue, Shantry, Lyon, Rhodes.

Hopefully the weather allows enough cricket for entertainment and the real Derbyshire side turns up.

Oh..and the commentators don't spend all day referring to 'Derby' and waxing lyrical over Wayne 'Madsden'.

Nope. That's going to happen...you know it as well as I do.

More from me tomorrow.